Exercises-Micro

and nanofluidics

Exercise 1:
Calculate the Reynolds number for the flow of :
a) A glacier: density of ice: ρ = 900 kg m −3 ; viscosity of ice: η = 1010 kg m −1 s −1 ; speed
of the flow: v = 10 m / year = 0.3 µ m s −1 ; Width of the glacier: 100 m, depth: 30 m.

b) A blood capillary: density of blood: ρ = 1025kg m −3 ; viscosity of blood:
η = 3, 5.10 −3 kg m −1 s −1 ; speed of the blood flow in a capillary: v = 300 µ m s −1
Diameter of a blood capillary: 4 µm

c) A microfluidic channel: density of water: ρ = 1000 kg m −3 ; viscosity of water at
20 °C: η = 10 −3 kg m −1 s −1 ; speed of the flow: v = 100 µ m s −1 ; microchannel
dimensions: width: 10 µm; height: 10 µm

d) A river of depth 10 m and width 100m, ρ = 1000 kg m −3 ; viscosity of water at
20 °C: η = 10 −3 kg m −1 s −1 ; speed of the flow: v=50 km/h

Answers: a) Glacier: Re=3.10-11<<1
b) Capillary Re=3,5 10-4
c) DH=4A/P=10µm; Re= 1 10-3
d) DH=4A/P=18m; Re= 2.5 108 turbulent

Exercise 2
Consider the microfluidic channel below. The temperature is 20°C (293 K). The
coloring of the water in the channel is achieved using small molecules (such as
rhodamine or anthocyanin) of radius r≈1nm.

a) Calculate the time it would take to have both colored mixed.
η(water at 20°C)=10-3 kg m-1 s-1
kB=1.38 10-23 m2 kg s-2K-1

b) The flow speed is 400µm/s along the channel. Calculate the distance in the
microfluidic channel at which both colors would be mixed.

Answer:
a) D=kBT/6πηr
For mixing the 2 colored water, the molecules that color the water need to
diffuse (1D) across the length of the channel=100µm
<x2>=2Dt
t=<x2>/2D=3.9 s

b) 3.9x400 µm= 1560 µm

Exercise 3:
Consider the microfluidic diffusive mixer below. The temperature is 20°C.

Calculate the average time it will take to diffuse across the red middle stream for:
a) a protein (r= 5 nm)
b) a Ca2+ ion (r= 1,1 Å)
c) Trifluoroethanol (r=2Å)

d) Assuming a flow speed of 400 µm/s, calculate the distance in the microfluidic
channels these times correspond to.

e) Trifluoroethanol is often used to denaturare protein (unfold them into a linear
chain of amino acids). Imagine a denaturated protein in a trifluoroethanol
solution in the middle stream. The two other streams are composed of a normal
buffer (composed of ions mostly), where proteins are folded. What would this
device allow you to study?

Answer
a) D=kT/6πηr
<x2>=2Dt
t=<x2>/2D
a)=291 ms
b)=6.4 ms
c) =11.64 ms
d) Ion: 2.5 µm /Protein 116µm/ TFE 4.6µm
 e) protein folding t=0 for protein folding =at 4.6 µm (12 ms after the two fluids
have been put in contact and have started mixing using diffusion), follow the
folding by looking at different places using
s
t=
v